Between Fact and Fiction

I have been working on goals that are attainable. ...

2012-05-28T11:03:21.253-07:00

I have been working on goals that are attainable. And as I'm currently on crutches, it's two walking assistants and one foot - talk about slow and steady :)

Right now, little steps are definitely in order!

2012-05-27T13:15:26.967-07:00

Right now, little steps are definitely in order!

Page is a page. And honestly I always think it is ...

2012-05-26T14:56:40.721-07:00

Page is a page. And honestly I always think it is okay to take small steps to writing again. I took half a year off last year (I did a lot of reading books but not writing) and I came back to it this year, so much more refreshed. Congratulations on the baby again, Natalie and I know you'll get back into writing. Just take small steps... :-)

Stretch not break - I like that. It's a good ...

2012-05-26T07:22:37.925-07:00

Stretch not break - I like that. It's a good way to think of goals. Maybe that's why many goals drop by the wayside because we reach too far or too suddenly. Thanks for the reminder!

I'm amazed you are exercising at all! I always...

2012-05-25T19:24:15.346-07:00

I'm amazed you are exercising at all! I always skipped exercise for months, okay years, after my kids. ;)

And you are so right- goals don't have to be big. One foot in front of the other is just the right amount.

I didn't write until long after my first baby....

2012-05-25T19:01:27.420-07:00

I didn't write until long after my first baby. And my second baby will be six next week and I still rarely exercise. . .hmm, I see a bad trend. :(

Thanks for the pep talk - now do what you need to do and don't worry about what the rest of us think. Oh, and love that baby to death. You'll blink your eyes and that little thing will almost be six!
erica

Goals don't have to be huge. They don't ha...

2012-05-25T18:50:40.443-07:00

Goals don't have to be huge. They don't have to be overwhelming. They should make you stretch—not break. They should motivate you to keep going, not make you feel like you'll never get there.

Yeah, I'm hanging this above my desk AND on my refrigerator! Thanks for the pep talk!

So true. Every word of it. A page written is a pag...

2012-05-25T18:37:36.331-07:00

So true. Every word of it. A page written is a page written. I need to tell myself that because I've been going sooooo slow in the writing world lately.

And speaking of you having a baby, I can't wait to hold that. :) One more month.

I love this! When you break it down to something l...

2012-05-25T17:53:16.909-07:00

I love this! When you break it down to something like writing a page, it doesn't seem as overwhelming. :)

I have a feeling this will be my problem--I'll...

2012-05-25T16:08:38.406-07:00

I have a feeling this will be my problem--I'll be easily discouraged by my slow pace.
Personally, I think you're amazing. You're my inspiration. I keep telling myself, that if you can do it, I can do it too!

Writing I guess is like so many other things -- us...

2012-05-25T15:06:12.738-07:00

Writing I guess is like so many other things -- use it or lose it. You haven't done it in a while, it's only natural you'd be a little rusty, find it difficult to get started, etc. Small steps, I'm sure you'll get back in the groove pretty quickly.

Sometimes I think you're too awesome for your ...

2012-05-25T12:56:25.016-07:00

Sometimes I think you're too awesome for your own good. :P

Just THINKING about working out two weeks after a ...

2012-05-25T12:11:15.314-07:00

Just THINKING about working out two weeks after a baby would be a big step for me. Haha. Good for you. And good luck with the writing!

Oh new baby! So exciting. And exhausting. Mine com...

2012-05-25T11:35:01.585-07:00

Oh new baby! So exciting. And exhausting. Mine comes in 5 weeks. Hopefully a little earlier because there's not room for both of us in this body anymore. Good luck with your new bigger family:)

I'm impressed you even tried. My baby will be...

2012-05-25T11:20:06.309-07:00

I'm impressed you even tried. My baby will be one tomorrow (WAHHH!!) and there was no way in hades I was working out two weeks later. YOU ARE AWESOME!! Keep it up. That baby weight will fall off so fast and you'll bounce back into shape.

Now with that said...GO TAKE A NAP! You'll thank me at 2 a.m.

Baby steps. :)

2012-05-25T10:44:13.712-07:00

Baby steps. :)

Okay, that is one cute baby. And already fixing up...

2012-05-25T10:43:03.931-07:00

Okay, that is one cute baby. And already fixing up plot holes, judging by the expression.

Such an inspiring post! Keep up the great work (an...

2012-05-25T10:40:45.918-07:00

Such an inspiring post! Keep up the great work (and post more baby pics :P)

I try to keep my kids' names offline, but you ...

2012-05-24T10:53:12.738-07:00

I try to keep my kids' names offline, but you can call him The Dread Pirate Baby:)

I'm obviously late to the party, but just want...

2012-05-24T09:10:32.966-07:00

I'm obviously late to the party, but just wanted to say congratulations on your baby! What a little cutie!! Hope you're getting some time to rest :)

This is so wonderfully encouraging. Thanks, as alw...

2012-05-24T08:09:10.933-07:00

This is so wonderfully encouraging. Thanks, as always, for your honesty and openness! :)

Hi Natalie! My question is ... what's your bab...

2012-05-23T23:22:49.969-07:00

Hi Natalie! My question is ... what's your baby's name? And congratulations.

Tess, it can be normal. I personally did five revi...

2012-05-23T19:16:46.956-07:00

Tess, it can be normal. I personally did five revisions for my first agent pre-offer. It really depends on what you're willing to do and if you and the agent click. I'm not sure what would be considered excessive, only because every person has a different tolerance level. But for me, I always ask myself two things:

1. Would the book be better if I followed these suggestions?

2. Do I feel like these suggestions are getting me closer to my vision of the work?

If I can answer "yes" to both of those questions, then I do the edits for my agent or editor. If not, then I discuss why I am uncomfortable and try to come up with compromising changes. If those aren't in line, well, sometimes you have to walk away from either a project or a person, depending on the situation.

As for querying other agents at the same time—it depends on your agreement with the agent asking for revisions. If they request an exclusive and you grant it, then querying must stop. Otherwise, it's usually acceptable to continue querying, though if you are doing major changes I would stop anyway since you'd want to send out your best draft possible.

Is it normal for an agent to ask for a lot of revi...

2012-05-23T19:02:26.034-07:00

Is it normal for an agent to ask for a lot of revisions before making an offer? What would be considered excessive? And can you be querying other agents too?

Okay, that's good advice! I might need to stic...

2012-05-23T16:34:33.627-07:00

Okay, that's good advice! I might need to stick a post-it up somewhere just to remind myself.